The LA tech industry is growing steadily. According to commercial real estate statistics, tech’s rise in Los Angeles has been astonishing. Raise, a corporation that collects real estate data, reports that tech companies leased about 500,000 square feet of office space in the city in 2015. Today, tech occupies some 5.5 million square feet — almost 10% of all commercial real estate on the Westside.
You might assume that tech companies in LA are focused on connections with the entertainment industry, and there’s certainly overlap and collaboration. But the LA tech scene includes innovative start-ups, e-commerce companies and online law firms shaking up the legal industry.
Built In LA compiled a list of diverse Los Angeles tech companies to watch this month, and they’re all hiring now.
What they do: Cie is an innovation lab and accelerator for bold entrepreneurs who want to transform disruptive ideas into thriving ventures. Blending Silicon Valley DNA with the business maturity of serial entrepreneurs, seasoned venture capitalists and Fortune 500 executives, the team’s strategic and operational expertise in technology, product development, brand building and customer acquisition drives positive outcomes across a wide range of business challenges.
The perks: Cie is a mission-driven business where team members genuinely enjoy each other. The company offers a comprehensive medical, vision and dental package, as well as a 401(K) plan with a company match. All team members also receive equity grants in incubated start-ups.
Deep and wide networks: Anderee Berengian, Cie’s co-founder and CEO, told Built In this spring that part of the company’s genius is its breadth of network. “A lot of folks have brought others to the table to contribute to the work,” he said. “Each of these connections begets another, and the next thing you know, our web is very broad and connects many senior folks across the industry.”
What they do: Atticus is an online law firm where anyone can turn for rapid, expert help answering legal questions for free. They diagnose clients’ needs, explain their options and help them find and hire the right lawyer or nonprofit to move forward. They also operate as a broker for lawyers, sending them pre-vetted clients who want to hire them and take a percentage of what they earn from successful cases.
The perks: Atticus is a stable startup with strong traction, offering great benefits. The company pays 100% of employee medical insurance premiums and offers student loan repayment assistance as well as a $1,000 reimbursable stipend for continuing education.
What’s in a name: Atticus is named after America’s most beloved fictional lawyer, Atticus Finch, from Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Finch ran a small-town law firm with a big heart, helping anyone in town who needed legal advice, regardless of their ability to pay. LA’s Atticus believes that everyone deserves access to that kind of legal help, and they’re on a mission to build a place where anyone can come for trusted, personal legal assistance.
What they do: Demand.io is an accelerator of e-commerce technologies that transform the way shoppers, brands and creators interact. They create and launch platforms that plug people into the best shopping experience and ecosystem. Products like Knoji, SimplyCodes and Favely reach millions of consumers and drive over a billion dollars per year in e-commerce transaction revenue.
The perks: In addition to their unlimited vacation policy and generous parental leave benefits, Demand.io is an equity partnership. Staff are eligible to become equity partners in the company, earning a share of overall profits that increases with performance and tenure.
AI Innovation: Demand.io recently launched a new ChatGPT plugin for its product Simply Codes. Simply Codes already includes more coupon codes than any other site, and now shoppers can ask ChatGPT to find the best discounts at over 300,000 retailers nationwide.
